


The Least of It

by HyperSpikes



Category: Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Genre: Baby Kubo, F/M, Fantasy, Tragedy, takes place before the first scene of the movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23556958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperSpikes/pseuds/HyperSpikes
Summary: "His grandfather stole something from him, and that really is the least of it." Takes place before the first scene of the movie.
Relationships: Hanzo/Sariatu (Kubo and The Two Strings)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	The Least of It

**Author's Note:**

> I really loved "Kubo and the Two Strings". I really liked the fact that it was darker than the trailers let on and it trusted its audience to just roll with it. So here's a little something I conjured up within about an hour and half because I love dark stuff and I needed to write about the oh-so-talked-about scene that never made it to the screen.

The cacophonic sound of a dying man's screams filtered through the fortress doors and into Sariatu's ears. Her entire being shook and shivered whenever another one of her husband's men were viciously taken down by her Sisters. Every time she heard the howls of bloodied agony, she feared that they belonged to her beloved and it only made the longing to protect him grow stronger. The soft and fearful cooing of the bundle wrapped in her husband's robe, however, brought her back to the reality of the situation. She knew she could not help - she needed to be with their son. She was the only one capable of protecting him from the cold and heartless cruel being that was her father. The weight of the shamisen felt the slightest bit comforting, but she knew that comfort would not save her now.

The Moon King had not descended from his place among the Heavens, yet Hanzo and his men were no match for the Moon King's remaining loyal daughters. She knew they were outside the fortress and they were winning. Their cackling and sadistic laughter was growing closer with every man they mercilessly struck down, as if the very mortality of man was a source of amusement.

"Where's our darling little nephew?" she heard the older one say. "Oh, Sariatu!" the other sang.

Another scream followed by the sound of blood splattering all over the ground.

Another shiver down Sariatu's spine.

The voices were right outside the massive fortress door, but Sariatu refused to back down or cower before her Sisters. Strengthening her resolve, and with her brow creased down low, she stood up from her kneeling position and held her child closer to her chest. She conjured her sword and held it firmly in her remaining hand. Her thoughts lingered on her husband a moment longer before she forced them away. Now was the time to be strong and fight for her son, not worry or wonder if Hanzo was still alive.

All fell silent for a long moment. The only sound was that of her breathing – quick and precise, like she hoped to be when the inevitable moment came for her to strike down her own Sisters.

The doors flew open and before she had a chance to react, a grappling hook shot through the entrance and latched itself onto her sword-bearing hand. She grunted in pain as it drew blood before it retracted back into the darkness, taking the sword with it. Her face morphed into one of terror as she watched the sword vanish through the open door. It landed with a resounding clang somewhere outside and Sariatu watched as her Sisters emerged through the door, hovering just above the ground. Their faces were obscured by Noh masks bearing a permanent, cruel smile.

"Sister, why did you betray us?" one said, her mocking voice tinted with feigned sadness. "Father is very upset with you."

Sariatu said nothing. To speak would be wasted energy; they would never understand. She only held out her hand in defense, ready to blast them away with her own powers if they got too close. Her arm tightened around her son, who babbled incoherently. Her eyes darted between her two Sisters, but then widened when the luminescent presence of the Moon King caught her eye outside. Both Sister moved to stand aside as he entered the fortress. His robe dragged on the ground behind him as he elegantly stepped through the doors and stared Sariatu down with his two blind eyes. His gazed roved over the child's tiny form and the creaky line across his face that barely passed for a mouth turned up at the sides.

"What a beautiful baby boy", he said in a calm and endearing voice. "It is a shame he will grow up here, on Earth – tainted and imperfect, just like his father", he spat out the last word in a tone laced with hatred. Sariatu's eyes remained on her father, even as her Sisters giggled cruelly. She knew her father would never consent to his grandson being a child of the Earth, but she was determined to keep him here. She had learned from her time with Hanzo that the Moon Kingdom was absolutely nothing compared to mortal life on Earth.

"… But he is still a child", Raiden continued as he stepped forward ever so slowly. "He will not remember this place if he is cleansed from the impurities of Earth now."

"Don't you dare touch him!" Sariatu cried out, her voice ringing in the nighttime air. It smelled of blood.

"You were tainted by this disgusting place by that mortal!" Raiden roared, his façade disappearing for all but a second before he returned to his seemingly calm demeanor. "… I will not see my grandson live this way."

The fortress was suddenly engulfed in the light of the full moon and Sariatu screamed as all its power bore down into her, wriggling into her and getting under her skin. For a long moment, she was blind and a gust of wind, courtesy of her Sisters, swept her off her feet. The bundle in her arms went flying and she cried out her son's name in anguish.

"KUBO!"

She felt her body slam into the hard ground before a heavy weight was placed against her shoulders. Her ears were ringing and her head was pounding. Yes, her time on Earth had dampened her innate abilities, making her much more prone to mortal sickness and injury. The weight, which turned out to be the hands of her Sisters, dragged her across the room and into the wall, where she hit her head and cried out in pain.

Nothing hurt more, however, than the pained and shrill cries of her baby boy. The horrible, stomach-churning sound of blood gushing out of an open wound and the smell of fresh blood was what suddenly helped her regain her long-lost strength. Her Sisters cackled and her hands lit up in an eerie blue aura before she reached for her shamisen and blasted them back with a good, strong blow to the strings. She jumped to her feet in order to rescue her son before any permanent damage was done.

… But she was too late.

"NO!" she screamed as her grandfather ripped out her son's eye. Fresh tears spilled out of her own eyes as she forced every ounce of power into her hands and threw her grandfather to the other side of the room with another blow to the shamisen. With inhuman speed, she raced over to Kubo, picked him up, and flew out of the fortress as fast as her spirit would let her.

For the first time, she got a glimpse of the unimaginable damage done to Hanzo's army. There was no doubt about it – Hanzo was dead.

Sariatu's thick, black hair blew wildly in the wind and clung to her tear-stricken face. She didn't dare look down into her son's mutilated eyes, for she was afraid of what she'd see. She quickly wrapped his head in a bandage and kept moving through the air as far as her power would forbid.

Before long, she was met with the mighty Black Ocean. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that she had to cross it. She had no choice – if she was going to run away from the Moon King and the Sisters, she needed to go away. Far away. With the last of her strength, she was able to conjure up a small, wooden raft and sail upon it for two days and two nights.

By the light of the Sun, she comforted her starving baby, and by the rays of the Moon, aided by her shamisen, she braved massive waves with her powers. All the while, she silently wept to herself. The tears never stopped falling as she cried for her husband, her son, and herself.

At long last, in the darkest hours of the night, when she no longer had any tears left to shed, a large and impending wave loomed over her. With a gasp of effort, she strummed the strings of the shamisen and dispelled it before it could hit her. Another shadow loomed over her, and she raised her arm to dispel that wave as well, but her eyes widened when she saw it for what it truly was – a cliff overhanging the sea. A cave. A safe haven. Land.

And for the first time since she ran away from Hanzo's fortress with her one-eyed baby strapped to her back, she smiled.


End file.
